300 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



any one in the college was, and what he was engaged in 

 doing — dining, playing cards, or so forth. The only 

 difficulty was to direct his attention to the particular 

 person concerning whom the information was required. 

 He could not always grasp the identity of the individual, 

 and his mind was apt to wander to other things. When 

 once, however, he realised who the person was, he was 

 instantly able to recognise him in whatever part of the 

 college he might be. 



His physical powers were often put to outrageously 

 severe tests, but undergraduates do not always stop to 

 consider cause and effect ! The one that he afterwards 

 used to complain of most — though he was perfectly 

 unaware of what treatment he had been subjected to, only 

 knowing that whatever it had been, it had caused his 

 muscles to ache very much and feel as if they had been 

 very severely tried — was when he was placed sitting in an 

 ordinary wooden chair, and was made to hold his legs 

 out perfectly horizontal from the hips and as stiff as if they 

 were made of wood. While in this position three stalwart 

 young fellows would stand on his shins betwixt the knees 

 and the ankles, and he could bear this great weight — con- 

 siderably over 30 st. — without giving way in the least. 

 To enable him to withstand the strain, it was necessary for 

 two strong men to hold him down in the chair by the 

 shoulders, pulling backwards with all their might, or else 

 he would have toppled forwards. I verily believe that 

 weight might have been piled on until the muscles 

 snapped before they would have relaxed. It was rather 

 curious that it was in the muscles of the chest and 

 shoulders that he afterwards complained of feeling most 

 aches, and he did not seem to notice much effect on the 



